Potential for innovation in the treatment of leishmaniasis using plants and natural products as sources of new drugs

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Luiz Filipe G.
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Gilbert, Benjamin, Villas Bôas, Glauco K.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Fitos
• Texto Completo: https://revistafitos.far.fiocruz.br/index.php/revista-fitos/article/view/192
• topic: Treatment of Leishmaniasis; Medicinal Plants; Herbal Medicines; Natural Products; Tratamento da Leishmaniose; Plantas Medicinais; Fitoterápicos; Produtos Naturais

Leishmaniasis is considered the most neglected disease. The drugs of choice for all clinical forms of leishmaniasis are still pentavalent antimonials. Amphotericin B and pentamidine are the second line due their greater toxicity. The main drug used in Brazil, Glucantime®, presents several adverse effects and represents high cost to the country. Brazil has the largest share of plant biodiversity, and it is not surprising that there are species active against this disease. The objective of this paper is to point out opportunities for innovation in medicines from the flora in the treatment of leishmaniasis. In recent years, several plants were shown active against Leishmania, among them Kalanchoe pinnata, Plumbago scandens, Physalis angulata, Piper aduncum, Tabernaemontana (Peschiera) australis e Phyllanthus amarus. These provide a basis for the development of herbal medicines for treating the disease. Until now, despite the researches for new drugs in institutions around the world, few advances, and little attention was paid in Brazil to develop drugs for leishmaniasis based on biodiversity.